Roman Catholic Womenpriests : Reflections on the Year of the Priests by Fr. Jan Larson

Date: Friday, August 7, 2009, 7:20 AM

REFLECTIONS ON THE YEAR OF THE PRIESTS
By Fr. Jan Larson, North Bend, WA

I read the pope's letter to priests beginning the special Year, and his audience
talks around the topic. He is clearly excited about St. John Vianney, whose
piety and approach to pastoral ministry I won't be adopting any time soon. His
"hear confessions till you drop" spirituality is an insult to anything we
believe today about healthy ministry, and his famous dialogues with the Devil
excludes him from my personal list of inspirational priests. Give me Oscar
Romero any day.

I suggest that 'The year of the Priest' include a symposium to help priests face
the problem issues of today's priesthood. Retreats and trips to France are nice
ideas, but are really distractions from the critical, even life threatening,
issues that confront the contemporary priesthood and healthy ministry. Ten
issues, as I identify them:

1. The shortage of priests, said to be irreversible. The band-aid solutions
(inviting often unequipped foreign priests to the U.S. and raising retirement
age, etc.) are not the answer. We can't continue to keep mandatory celibacy
unchallenged, which by every measure is doing much more harm to the church and
to individuals than it is doing good. Ordination of deacons must be discussed,
as well as ordination of married men, and the reality that many resigned priests
are willing to exercise their priesthood for the good of the church.

2. That many priests do not perceive themselves to be the closest collaborators
with their bishops that they are supposed to be. The last time a bishop
sincerely asked my opinion about anything was in 1997.

3. The feeling that we priests have been betrayed by our bishops by their
knee-jerk passage of the Dallas Charter. Now priests who commit even the
slightest offense are treated the same as a serial rapist. Why didn't we learn
from the way the religious orders handled this mess? They begin their
investigation process with charity, while the bishops begin with the appearance
of presumed guilt and immediate removal from ministry. Meanwhile many accused
religious order priests continue their ministry in some form. They are not
automatically banished, because the gospels and charity would not allow this.

So many priests are also discouraged to see that many bishops who were
responsible for silence and cover-ups are not held accountable. Why doesn't the
Dallas charter apply to bishops? The Vatican remains silent, and, of course, the
bishops refuse to demand accountability from their fellow bishops. Bishops owe
us an apology in The Year of the Priest.

4. The growing rift between the "Vatican II priests and the "John Paul priests."
We even ritually celebrate this rift at Priests' Days. When we gather for the
eucharist, the "orthodox" priests are ritually set aside so they can stand out.
What is not seen are the hidden resentments on both sides. Seeing this sort of
division in the assembly, St. Paul could well insist that we are guilty of
abusing the eucharist, beginning with the bishop who could end this, but prefers
to remain silent.

5. The problems and challenges that necessarily accompany the increasingly
disproportionate gay priesthood. In particular the heterosexual candidates who
feel dislocated in largely gay seminary structures, and who consequently leave.
This elephant in the room, as well as some of the other elephants I list, is so
well treated by Fr. Donald Cozzens in his The Changing Face of the Priesthood.
It is unfortunate that his excellent book was not made the topic of Priests'
Days when it was published nearly ten years ago. Another missed opportunity.

6. The return of clericalism. There is more to this than a fascination with
cassocks and birettas and using antiquated rituals and vestments. The insidious
side appears when it infects preaching, and when priests begin to ignore the
parish consultative structures that are supposed to be in place in every parish.
The "Father knows best" days are returning with a gallop.

7. The evangelization problem. Many baptized people don't bother going to
church, as our last Priests' Days speakers explained, because their experiences
with the institutional church are negative. I know many of these people. The
baptized will continue to leave and go to church elsewhere as long as there is
the nasty perception that the church treats women as second class citizens, gays
as second class citizens, divorced people as second class citizens, and anyone
who dissents about any church teaching or policy is crushed with a heavy hand.
Also many former practicing Catholics are convinced that the church is
preoccupied with sex, which, of course, it is. (see some of St. John Vianneys'
obsessions below, as described in one of his wonderful biographies.)*

8. Resigned priests. These people, by Vatican policy, are treated like traitors.
But they are an obvious answer to our prayers for more priests in our parishes.
During The Year of the Priest the pope and bishops who are mean to these people
should apologize and set up dialogue structures so that the ministry of these
priests can be used for the good of the church.

9. Confidence in bishops. Under the last two popes the bishops have assumed the
pre-Vatican II role as puppets of the Vatican. They seem to many priests to be
frightened men who dare not speak out about anything other than abortion. They
are the taillights of the church, instead of the headlights. And everyone else
suffers the consequences. For instance, the bishops, with tails between their
legs, voted to impose an even more mediocre translation of the words we use to
pray together at liturgy. They should have raised hell, and vigorously protested
the power grab instigated by Vatican bureaucrats. They should have refused to be
emasculated by meddling committees of largely non-Americans.

10. So many older priests are heard saying, "I can't wait for retirement." Why
do they say this? Why this sense of surrender, of hopelessness?


St. John Vianney
* The Saint on the dangers of women: "Alas, my dear brethren, how little purity
is known in the world; how little we value it; what little care we take to
preserve it; what little zeal we have in asking God for it, since we cannot have
it of ourselves.

No, my dear brethren, it is not known to those notorious and seasoned libertines
who wallow in and trail through the slime of their depravities, whose hearts are
.... roasted and burned by an impure fire .... [sentence incomplete - Trans.]
Alas, very far from seeking to extinguish it, they do not cease to inflame it
and to stir it up by their glances, their desires, and their actions. What state
will such a soul be in when it appears before its God! Purity!



"No, my dear brethren, this beautiful virtue is not known by such a person whose
lips are but an opening and a supply pipe which Hell uses to vomit its
impurities upon the earth and who subsists upon these as upon his daily bread.
Alas! That poor soul is only an object of horror in Heaven and on earth! No, my
dear brethren, this gracious virtue of purity is not known to those young men
whose eyes and hands are defiled by glances and .... [sentence incomplete -
Trans.] Oh God, how many souls does this sin drag down to Hell! .... No, my dear
brethren, this beautiful virtue is not known to those worldly and corrupt girls
who make so many preparation s and take so many cares to draw the eyes of the
world towards themselves, who by their affected and indecent dress announce
publicly that they are evil instruments which Hell makes use of to ruin souls --
those souls which cost so much in labors and tears and torments to Jesus Christ!
....

"Look at them, these unfortunates, and you will see that a thousand devils
surround their heads and their breasts. Oh, my God, how can the earth support
such servants of Hell? An even more astounding thing to understand is how their
mothers endure them in a state unworthy of a Christian! If I were not afraid of
going too far, I would tell those mothers that they are worth no more than their
daughters.



"Alas! This sinful heart and those impure eyes are but sources of poison which
bring death to anyone who looks at or listens to them. How do such monsters of
iniquity dare to present themselves before a God Who is so holy and so set
against impurity! Alas! Their poor lives are nothing but an accumulation of fuel
which they amass to increase the flames of Hell through all eternity..."

On the dangers of dancing: "Even more strenuous, if possible, were his efforts
in bringing about a suppression of dancing-an amusement to which the people were
passionately addicted but which the Saint knew only too well to be a very hotbed
of sin." The Cure of Ars (St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney), by Dom E rnest
Graf


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Roman Catholic Womenpriests : "God goes to Rome", Part 2 by Eileen Di Franco

(If you read Part I last year, God as an old woman visited the pope. God took the pope’s shoes and pectoral cross.)

Joseph aka Benedict awakened to find a contingent of worried men buzzing around his bed. He saw his doctor with his stethoscope around his neck and a frown between his eyebrows, his lawyer with a stack of papers, Cardinal Levada and the Lord God, who put her fingers to her lips, winked, and whispered “Sssh.”

“How long have I been asleep?” Benedict asked.

His doctor answered. “Fifteen hours.”

“Well, I guess I was really tired, “Benedict replied. “Being pope is hard work.” He threw off the covers and sat on the edge of the bed.

“But Holy Father, you are unwell, “ the doctor said solicitously. “ We are concerned about your health. In addition, you seem to have lost your pec toral cross and your shoes. Do you recall where you put them?”

“No, I am not unwell. Never felt better in my life. As for the cross and the shoes, I don’t need either of them. What did Jesus wear? Certainly not a pectoral cross and certainly not red shoes. Would you please all leave so I can take a shower and get dressed. I have a lot of work to do.”

The men at arms left and stood whispering outside the door of his chamber, glancing nervously towards the door. God sat patiently in Benedict’s chair while he showered, shaved, and donned a clean while cassock. She didn’t get up when Benedict returned to his study. So Benedict stood waiting. “You know that the lot of them are talking about you, son. Eight y-two year s old, losing important possessions. You’re talking nonsense. Your actions are those of the aged who are losing their marbles. There will be a lot of meetings tonight and you won’t be a part of them. I want to give you fair warning. Be prepared.” Benedict nodded.

“Take a seat, my son,” SHE said, generously sweeping her arm towards the visitor’s chair. “ We have some more talking to do. Things in this church are a mess. We have many things to accomplish in the time allotted to you.” She leaned forward and looked at him with her piercingly bright green eyes. Never in his life had Benedict seen such eyes. He remembered his dream, and felt comforted.

“It wasn’t a dream,” she said pointedly. “It happened. Just remember, your thoughts are not my thoughts and your ways20are certainly not Mine.” She shut him up with a gesture when he tried to speak. “You already talk too much. Just listen.”

“Today, we are going to talk about sex. In fact, we are going to have what Americans call a discussion about the ‘birds and the bees,’ a discussion you obviously missed since you excused yourself from life in my world at age 13.” Benedict blinked. “Yes,” she said, “Sex. The act. Why I created it. Why is isn’t bad for anyone unless it is misused. Then I will listen to your side of the story, although I already know it. But before we start, let’s get one thing straight. There will be no more canonizations of married couples who refrained from having sex for thirty years. Did you ever think that they might not have liked one another? Besides, there are lots of really good candidates for sainthood. The last time I looked, Oscar Romero had hundreds of miracles attributed to him. Dorothy Day is another. And my children Oscar and Dorothy did something really neat. They actually preached and lived the gospel. ”
=0 A

Benedict’s chest began to burn. Perhaps the doctors are right. Perhaps there really was something wrong with him and he needed to confess fast. He looked at God who now sat before him as a young woman with black curly hair. She was dressed in a navy blue business suit and held a lap top computer on her lap. She smiled reassuringly as she met his eyes with her deep green eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s the seal I put on your heart. It will burn whenever I am with you.”

God removed her jacket, revealing strong muscular arms. Benedict stared at the bare arms and God’s curly black hair. “ There will be no Vatican chador for ME, my son. You all expected my daughter Michelle to cover up the arms which perform the most stre nuous job in the world, cradling children. Mine cradle the world. You need to look at them. You need to see the body parts women use to care for the world.” God flexed HER considerable muscles. “There is also nothing so wrong with women’s arms or faces or their hair that they need to be covered in your presence. In fact, your head doesn’t need to be covered either. You only need a hat when it’s cold.” God reached over and plucked his papal beanie from his head. Benedict could only blink.

“ I’m sorry about this,” she continued. “It would be easier to talk about sex with an old, wizened woman. But I have no intention of making this conversation easy for you. As I told you, I will require all of you, even your most dearly held beliefs. You need to listen to the stories you have refused to heed. Since you won’t listen to flesh and blood women, perhaps you will listen the Lord God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. It is imperative that you discern the difference between sex as love and sex as sin because you mess up people s lives. Sin and love are very different concepts. Nuance is required. You and your guys went after sex with the wrecking ball when a paint-by-number paintbrush was required.”

Benedict looked at the computer in God’s Lap and saw the women he had met in what he thought was a dream. 0A tropical island with warm gentle breezes surrounded by a turquoise sea generally fits many people’s perception of heaven,” God said. “But, heaven, as you know son, is a state, not a place. For convenience’s sake, let us say that these women are in heaven, living a life denied them while on earth. But heaven is even better than what you are seeing.”

God announced to him as he stared intently at the computer screen, “Behold, I bring you the sins of sex.”

Benedict saw a group of six healthy teenaged girls playing volleyball on the beach. Their strong arms hit the ball back and forth over the net. Their voices were raised in happy laughter, their white teeth flashing in the sunshine. The girls stopped playing to talk to him via a web cam.

“We history’s child brides,” they said in unison, “Sold to men too old, too violent, and too=2 0mean-spirited to be husbands. We were sold for a pig or a cow or a kingdom – which priests of the church blessed. Our bodies were torn in marriage acts that were more rape than sacrament. We died from beatings, from over-work, from too frequent child bearing, and from starvation. Many of our children peris hed as well since we could never find enough food for them. And we were told it was God’s will. You, yourself, called what happened to us ‘conjugal love’ and ‘God’s pla n.’”

As God hastily blotted up her tears from the keyboard with a tissue from HER handbag, another group of women broke away from the crowd to talk to him. Toddlers, kindergartners, schoolgirls and women of different ages stood together on the white sand holding hands. “We are women who have suffered and died because of genital mutilation. Girls as young as ‘Me,’ the tiny one announced, have had their labia ripped off unhygienically, without anesthesia. Not only were sexual relations a terror, and childbirth a nightmare of pain, we could never use the bathroom as intact women do. We died from infection, from chronic ill health, from chronic pain.” A teenager stepped forward with a broken soda bottle in her ha nd. “This was the instrument of my torture. Genital mutilation was supposed to make and keep us pure. It made and kept us sick. Be careful of how you use the word ‘pure.’”

Benedict thought he would vomit, but God nodded encouragingly, bright tears sparkling on HER eyelashes and running down HER cheeks. “I’m sorry. There’s more, much more.”

Benedict could see that there were hundreds of women on the beach, sorting themselves into groups. The women sold as slaves. Women abused in marriage. Women denied an education. Women tortured and executed as witches. Women murdered by their male relatives to avenge the honor of their families.

“God,” Benedict pleaded, “I cannot bear this.”
“You cannot bear it?” God asked=2 0archly.

Another, very, very large group of women gathered on the bea ch to talk. “We are women who died in childbirth. We are fourteen, twenty-four, thirty-four, forty-four. It was our job, our destiny, the will of God that we bring life into the world at our peril, even when child bearing meant certain death. We laugh at your suggestion that we use ‘natural birth control’ to plan our children when you have given men power over us. This power killed us. Our babies died. Our living children died because there was no one to care for them. Our lives were not our own. Our bodies were not our own. We were told that God wanted this of us. We gave our bodies, our souls, and our minds for others.” Even in heaven, the women cried, weeping and wailing for their children, for their lives as children that had been lost, lost.

God, HERSELF, was sobbing, great shuddering wails that seemed to make his chamber walls reverberate. Benedict looked at the door nervously, waiting for his attendants to burst back in. “Even now, my son, this death goes on and on and20on. You have rendered anatomy as, what did my son Sigmund Freud say? Destiny. There is only one destiny – to love your neighbor as yourself. What more can I say than that? What more can I do to explain what is required of one who will follow me and do MY will?”

Three men entered the pope’s chamber without knocking. “Holy Father,” Cardinal Levada gasped, “We heard loud noises. Are you well?” Cardinal Levada looked at the young woman with the bare arms sitting in the pope’s chair with a frown. He strode towards her, demanding to know her name and how she came to be speaking with the pope without an appointment. God stood up to HER very considerable height.

Cardinal Levada found himself looking up at a very tall young woman with piercing green eyes and black curly hair. “My name,” SHE said, “Is Ms. Devine. And yours?” she peremptorily asked the shocked cardinal in the black cassock with the red piping and the pectoral cross. Cardinal Levada began to lift his hand with his episcopal ring. Thi nking better of it, he let his arm drop to his side.

“I’m Cardinal William Levada, the prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith,” he answered weakly. “And, Ms. Devine,” he told her, “You really can’t be here with the Holy Father.”

“I,” she said rather pointedly, “ Can be wherever I want to be. And you, William,” she said grabbing him by his shoulders and turning him towards the door, can leave while I speak with Josef. I am far from finished.”

William walked out of the door without looking back. Both of his shoulders felt warm where SHE had touched him. In fact, William felt positively glowing. The other men bowed as he walked by. “Your Eminence, did you learn what was causing those loud sounds in the pope’s chambers?”

“Yes,” His Eminence said almost dreamily. “There’ s a half naked young20woman in there with the Holy Father.”

The men merely shrugged and walked on. Men in Vatican City preserve their positions by keeping their mouths shut and their eyes averted.

Eileen M. DiFranco
August 7, 2009

Roman Catholic Womenpriests : The history of Eucharistic Presidency

The History of Eucharistic Presidency
By Ken Chaison

I think it is important to know what was going on in the world during the time when, "…the power of Eucharistic presidency came from the ordination of an individual without reference to his/her presidency over the community, first arose with the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) and was strengthened at the Council of Florence (1439)." as mentioned in John Mooney's research.

At the time of the Fourth Lateran Council, Innocent III was Pope, having attained that position through nepotism. Innocent III came from a very rich and influential family. His uncle, Pope Celestine III, trained Innocent as a theologian and then made him a Cardinal in 1190. After his election to Pope, Innocent III set about to realize his ideal of the pope as ecclesiastical ruler of the world with secular political power as well.

He acknowledged Frederick II as King of Sicily to gain favors from Frederick's mother, Empress Con stance (Holy Roman Empire). When Constance died, Innocent III took Frederick II in as his ward. In Germany a dispute between Philip of Swabia and Otto IV was arbitrated by the pope in favor of Otto (1201). Later (1207–8) the pope favored Philip, but after Philip's murder, Innocent crowned Otto (1209) as emperor, only to excommunicate him (1210) and dictate the election of the papal ward, Frederick, as German king (1212). Frederick made elaborate promises (as had Otto) favorable to the Holy See.

Innocent III got involved in the choosing of England's Archbishop of Canterbury. King John, enraged at what he felt was unwarrantable interference by the pope and in opposing the demands of the king, persecuted the church. As a result the pope laid England under the interdict, excommunicated John (1209), and even considered deposing him. The people and the barons supported the church, and John had to submit; he received England and Ireland in fief from the pope, promising annual tribute to the Holy See. Innocent was also the virtual overlord of Christian Spain, Scandinavia, Hungary, and the Latin East.

Later, in 1305, Pope Clement V moved the papacy to Avignon, France, under pressure from the French King. There, Clement and his successors exhausted the papal treasury living a lavish and corrupt lifestyle.

In 1377 Catherine of Siena forced Pope Gregory XI to close down the Avignon facilities and return to Rome. In 1378 an Italian pope, Urban VI, was elected after riots in the street against the ascension of another Frenchman. The Cardinals then fled back to France, declared the election of Urban to be invalid and elected another pope, Clement VII, who set himself up back in Avignon. There were two popes for 31 years, then a third pope was elected when a general council was assembled to solve the matter. However, neither of the deposed popes stepped down, so there were 3 popes for a time.

The newly elected third pope, John XXIII, (not the same as John XXIII of the 20th century), was previously a military leader, who was personally corrupt. He appointed relatives to high positions and spent papal funds for personal gain. He was later deposed as well.
__________________________

Some of the Popes were corrupt. They were all about power and money; they were not of God.

So, what's real? Is there a true line of succession of popes back to Peter? Is Pope Benedict XVI the true pope or is he pope only as long as the people say that he is?

Do we accept the edicts of the corrupt men down through the ages? Should we believe that power rests in the hierarchy and that "Eucharistic presidency [comes only] from ordination" of an individual by that same hierarchy as promulgated by Innocent III and others down through the ages?
__________ ________________

For me, I prefer the ways of the early church, before the corruption of man took hold. Gregory I, 590 to 604, coined the phrase, "servant of the servants of God" to describe the papacy. He implored, urged, recommended and discussed, but still got the job done without being a dictator. He believed in the old Roman adage, "What touches all, must be approved by all," i.e., everyone affected by a decision should have a seat at the table.

I have wondered why there should not be a "Western Rite," since there is an "Eastern Rite." I wonder why we have to be tied directly to the "Roman" Catholic Church. (The "Roman" Empire ceased to exist some time ago.) An argument can probably made that due to nepotism, corruption, etc., there is no true papal line back to Peter, anyway.

Perhaps the Western Catholic Church should have its own pope and, perhaps, just for the sake of balance & justice, it should be a woman. There are hierarchically ordained, but not approved, women bishops in this country. So, let's just set about approving one of them to be the Western Pope and move on with everyone having a seat at the table!!!

The basis for discrimination against women in the church goes all the way back to the fact that women were seen as unclean, during menstruation, by the Jews. The presumed ‘ritual uncleanness’ of women entered Church Law especially through the Decretum Gratiani (1140 AD), which became official Church law in 1234 AD. (You can bet that there were no women at the table to vote against the law in 1234 AD.). See http://www.womenpriests.org/traditio/unclean.asp - lots of documentation there.
Ken
kenchaison@yahoo.com

Roman Catholic Womenpriests : U.S. Women Religious Leadership, at the Crossroads

U.S. women religious leadership, at the crossroads
By Ken Briggs
National Catholic Reporter

"The Vatican has thrown down the gauntlet. The choice is stark: acquiesce to a “doctrinal assessment” of leadership conference views -- on women’s ordination, the primacy of Roman Catholicism and homosexuality – or reject the probe as an unwarranted fishing expedition bent on putting the organization out of business."
http://ncronline.org/news/women/us-women-religious-leadership-crossroads

Roman Catholic Womenpriests : Crossing the Ecclesiastical Line by Janice Sevre-Duszynska

Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Bishop Dana Reynolds, Janice Sevre-Duszynska
Crossing the Ecclesiastical Line
by Janice Sevre-Duszynska

Conscience is something very sacred. It gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do the right thing.

Conscience is what compelled Austrian Franz Jagerstatter to refuse to enlist in Hitler's army. On August 9, 1943, this humble farmer and father of four was executed for following his conscience.

The story of Franz Jagerstatter was the theme of the homily by Maryknoll priest Roy Bourgeois on August 9, 2008, when he attended my ordination in Lexington as a Roman Catholic Womanpriest. A longtime friend, Roy is the founder of the School of the Americas Watch. He has spent a total of four years in prison as a "prisoner of conscience" as part of the movement to close the SOA. The SOA, a U.S.-military training school for Latin American troops located in Fort Benning, Georgia, has been producing death squad leaders and human rights abusers since 1946.

Roy participated in my ordination Mass. He celebrated the Eucharist with me, the other women priests and the woman bishop who ordained me. He laid hands on me in blessing after I was ordained.

In his homily Roy said, "It is our conscience that compels us to be here today. How can we speak out against the injustice of our country's foreign policy in Latin America and Iraq if we are silent about the injustice of our church here at home?"

Roy Bourgeois followed his conscience and crossed the ecclesiastical line against women's ordination - the first time a male priest in good standing participated in the ordination of a Roman Catholic woman, a watershed event in the Roman Catholic Church. His prophetic words and actions, today's Good News, have traveled across the planet in newspapers, magazines, TV and the Internet. They have evoked much joy about renewing our church and priestly ministry with women priests in a discipleship of equals.

Within a few days of the ordination, Roy was summoned to his religious order's headquarters in Maryknoll, New York to account for his participation in my ordination and for his homily. He was questioned by his superior and two council members and asked to fill out the "dissenting priest's form" which was sent to the Vatican. When asked to recant his support for women priests, he refused.

The Vatican's Office for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly The Inquisition), now run by former San Francisco Cardinal William Levada, said Roy would be excommunicated from the church he has served for over 37 years if he did not recant.

Meanwhile, Catholics and interfaith peace-and-justice makers wrote letters in support of Roy and women priests to the superior general of the Maryknolls, the Papal Nuncio, and their local bishop. They sent emails to the pope and to Cardinal Levada.

Catholic reform groups, including Call to Action, Women's Ordination Conference and Roman Catholic Womenpriests put together a petition to the Vatican to support Roy's prophetic stance. Among the thousands who signed were 122 women religious leaders who identified themselves and their religious orders. These women thus also crossed th ecclesiastical line against women's ordination and followed their conscience.
Not long afterwards, the Vatican announced that it would be conducting two investigations of American nuns to determine whether the sisters are "living in fidelity to the religious life." Nuns in no other nations are being asked this question.

Did the courageous women religious leaders frighten the Vatican bullies? Are the investigations connected to the boldness of these "uppity" nuns? Are the men in the Vatican quivering because more women religious might step forward to claim their vocations and be ordained priests?

Roman Catholic Womenpriests continues to grow and serve the people of God in grassroots communities. We have ordained and continue to ordain women, including nuns, whose vocation is the priesthood.

Pope Benedict XVI has named this the "year of the priest." I invite our brother priests to hear the voice of their conscience and cross the line with us as we women are ordained.
-------
The author is a Roman Catholic Womanpriest,
former POC for the SOA Watch, peace and
justice activist and a retired teacher. She is
working on a Doctor of Ministry degree.

51 Woodbrier Ct.
Lexington, KY 40356
rhythmsofthedance@msn.com

H: 859-317-8325
C: 859-684-4247

Roman Catholic Womenpriests : Religious Groups to be forced to end Discrimination

Religious Groups to be forced to end discrimination
"The Roman Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland along with most other Christian groups are upset about the new European anti-discrimination directive."

http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2009/08/religious-groups-to-be-forced-to-end-discrimination.html

"Will the Church of England and Roman Catholic churches lose their exemptions under present equality laws and be forced, in the case of the former, to consecrate women bishops and in the case of the latter, to ordain both women priests and bishops? "

Sisters for Christian Community: A New Model, Vatican Investigates Nuns

Sisters for Christian Community are contemporary women bonded together to manifest their commitment to Christ in a new form of consecrated life as a prophetic, collegial, ecclesial community. The community was formed in 1970 in response to Vatican II and is an international community with a committed membership in all continents of the world. The community reflects the journey of women called to be co-foundresses, co-equals, and co-responsible for all aspects of this new form of religious life which is non-canonical and ecumenical, with a self-supporting membership.
http://www.sfccglobal.org/history.htm

Sisters for Christian Community is a prophetic community that offers a viable alternative for women religious who are living the consecrated life and who espouse the values of Gospel equality and justice for women in the church. Decisions are made by consensus. In light of the Vatican investigations, more and more women religious may seek communities in which they are free to live according to their consciences. Sisters for Christian Community will warmly welcome such liberated, gutsy women who are birthing the church and world of our dreams.
Bridget Mary Meehan, sfcc, rcwp

http://ncronline.org/news/women/women-religious-study-include-soundness-doctrine

"The woman charged with carrying out the investigation of U.S. women religious congregations last week sent major superiors letters containing information that for the first time confirms the Vatican-sponsored effort will involve an examination of “the soundness of doctrine held and taught” by the women."